Wednesday, August 21, 2013

New Fall Wreath

Summer is definitely on the wane. How do I know? The sun is lower in the sky, it is getting dark a little earlier each evening, and there are little hints of color starting to show in the trees. All the stores have their fall merchandise for sale (and yes, Christmas too) and there were potted mums at the grocery store yesterday. That means pumpkins are just around the corner. Yahoo!

Today, I had a total creative itch that had to be scratched. I was restless and irritable, annoyed actually. The moving and unpacking is finished and I haven't done anything creative in almost two months. Unacceptable. Time to solve that issue.

I know it's a little early, but I made my first fall wreath and hung it on the front door. I mean really, there is no use making anything else since autumn is on the way right? Right. I dug around in the craft closet and pulled out everything I needed.

The only new item used was that beautiful printed burlap ribbon I found last week at Michael's and it has been teasing me every time I go in my craft room. Taunting me. Look at the beautiful detail. They have it with different designs on it. I just happened to like the one that looked like cursive writing.

Today, the taunting ceased! I unrolled that ribbon and twisted it into a couple of big loops and made two tails that I cut into V shapes and went from there. It is anchored to the wreath with a brown chenille stem. Now what? Here's a tip. I almost always start with the bow before adding anything else. It's just easier that way.

I have lots of fall leaves in a huge bag from previous seasons and I bought several silk flower bushes at the Dollar Tree the other day. Glue gun, glue sticks, wreath form (from Dollar Tree) - voila, everything I needed so I went to work.

Sometimes, I know how Michaelangelo felt when he looked at a piece of marble and saw a vision of what it could be, like the statue of David. Don't get me wrong, I am NOT comparing a door wreath with the statue of David, but I am talking about envisioning what something can be, how you see it finished. It takes creativity and imagination - maybe even a little thoughtful study. And sometimes, there are just happy accidents and something miraculous happens and you are happy, happy, happy with the outcome. There is no right or wrong, just whatever you want it to be.

Sorry, got sidetracked there for a minute. I put the big bow on the wreath and then proceeded to hot glue leaves in varying shapes and colors around the wreath. I finished by arranging silk flowers in and around the bow, hot glueing them to the burlap ribbon. That is really all I did. Place first, glue second. Make sure you like the placement before you glue something down. It's like measure twice, cut once. It is hard to move something after the glue has set and you don't like where it is. That's just a another little FYI from a floral designer with many years experience.

So, my itch was scratched and I am ready to move on to the next project whatever it may be. Think about what you want to do for the fall season and start now. It will be September in just a short while and then the real fun begins. Let's hear it for fall y'all.

Everyday Donna

Things to Remember:

Be creative. Be original. Think outside the box. There is no right or wrong in creating. It may not always turn out the way you want, or it could be a creative catastrophe (have had a few of those). What matters is if you like it! donna